Big Lead Sports Bar

6/06/2008

DWIGHT WHITE DEAD AT 58

There's shocking and sad news out of Steeler Nation today, where yet another member of the Steeler family has passed away. Former Steel Curtain defensive end Dwight White has died after complications from surgery. He was just 58 years old.

"Dwight White was one of the greatest players to ever wear a Steelers uniform. . . . Dwight refused to be denied, as was evidenced when he walked out of the hospital with pneumonia to play in Super Bowl IX and had an outstanding game, scoring our first points by sacking Fran Tarkenton for a safety."

This continues the growing trend that has come to be known as "The Steeler Curse." As ESPN's article points out, at least 38 former Steelers players have died since 2000, with 17 of them 59 or younger. And that's not mentioning former broadcaster Myron Cope, who passed away on February 27 of this year.

And since that article was published, the Steelers also lost Ernie Holmes and Buddy Dial earlier this year, off the top of my head.

White had been passing his time as the senior managing director of public finance for Mesirow Financial in Pittsburgh after his role as a partner and principal operator of the Pittsburgh office of W.R. Lazard & Co.

White was also chairman of the Pennsylvania Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

the family requests that donations in Dwight's memory be sent to The August Wilson Center of African American Culture at 425 Sixth Ave., Suite 1750, Pittsburgh 15219.

3 comments:

This matters because while she's not the biggest of football fans, she's active in several local charities that Dwight White volunteered with over the years. He was apparently generous with every fan that ever approached him.

In the old days, these guys weren't making millions of dollars and it wasn't unusual for them to have a job in the offseason. Our family was running a supermarket in Pittsburgh and we had made arrangements to have our babyfodd department reset.

A couple weeks had gone by and the salesman had never showed up. Then, one day, this large black man made an appearance and said that he was here to do the baby food reset. My cousin, barely out of high school and not very large proceeds to dress him down:

"Where in the hell have you been? You were supposed to have been here two weeks ago?"

"I just started this job sir, my name's Dwight White".

"Dwight White from the Steelers?"

"Ah huh."

Well let me tell you, everything was quickly forgiven as we suddenly had a celebrity in our midst doing our babyfood reset, if you can believe that. This took place, I believe, in 1973, the year before his first Superbowl

I'm french rugby player, from Toulouse south France. I met this great (huge) man as he was on holidays with his family in 2005 or 2006.He was really a nice guy and easy to approach. He told me the story of these final of the Superbowl against the Vikings if my memory is good, he used to stay in hospital and goes away to play this match ! when I saw the ring with the score... I said OK, this man don't take me for a pea. He was working in the Finance I think Mesirow!Today my friends just don't believe me.... But I won't forget this man, it's impossible...RIP